DATE: January 12, 2021
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Steven E. White, Director
Department of Public Works and Planning
SUBJECT: Highway Safety Improvement Program - Cycle 10 Grant Applications
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Retroactively authorize the Director of the Department of Public Works and Planning’s previous submittal of three grant applications in the total amount of $6,586,200 to the California Department of Transportation for the Cycle 10 Highway Safety Improvement Program.
REPORT
On November 2, 2020, the Department of Public Works and Planning submitted three competitive grant applications to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) for Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funding to upgrade existing signal facilities at two locations, and for headwall improvements at three locations. This item pertains to locations in Districts 1, 3, and 4.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If the recommended action is not approved, the Department would withdraw from the grant application process.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. If the grant applications are successful, no local match would be required for the $6,586,200 in Federal funding. If the application is approved, the Department will return to your Board with any necessary resolutions. Awards are anticipated in July of 2021.
DISCUSSION:
The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act was signed into Federal law on December 4, 2015 (Public Law No. 114-94). Under FAST, the HSIP is a core Federal-aid program to States and local governments for the purpose of achieving a significant reduction in fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads, including non-State-owned public roads on tribal land. Local HSIP projects must be identified on the basis of crash experience, crash potential, crash rate, or other data-supported means.
Caltrans announced HSIP Cycle 10 Call for Projects on May 5, 2020. The application submittal deadline was Monday, November 2, 2020. The total funds available for HSIP Cycle 10 is estimated at approximately $220 million.
Locations:
Lac Jac Avenue and Manning Avenue ($1,824,300) - The intersection of Lac Jac and Manning Avenues is among the County's highest safety priorities. Countywide, the project had the third highest number of accidents in a recent 5-year period. Between September 19, 2015 and May 5, 2020, there were 39 traffic collisions, one of which was fatal. The proposed project will install protected left turn phasing for northbound and southbound Lac Jac Avenue and improve signal hardware.
Maple Avenue and Clinton Avenue ($1,382,700) - The intersection of Maple and Clinton Avenues experiences heavy traffic during the peak morning and evening hours. All approaches at the intersection only allow permissive left turns, and are not protected by left-turn phasing. Between September 23, 2016 and June 2, 2020, there were 26 traffic collisions, one of which was fatal. The proposed project will install protected left turn phasing for all approaches, and improve signal hardware.
Headwall Improvements ($3,379,200) - The headwall locations are at American and East Avenues, Excelsior and Valentine Avenues, and McKinley and Jameson Avenues. The headwalls are small retaining walls placed on either side of the road crossings at rural irrigation ditches. These are two lane roads with centerline striping with no posted speed limit signs, and high-speed travel is common. The headwalls are fixed objects and have been struck by vehicles on numerous occasions. Between July 21, 2015 and September 9, 2019, there were 6 traffic collisions combined, most of which were caused by unsafe turns and speeding. The proposed project will remove or relocate these culvert headwalls farther away from the roadside to reduce the number of traffic incidents at these locations.
Funding consideration is given to projects with an expected Benefit/Cost Ratio (BCR) greater than 3.5. The BCR is calculated by dividing the economic benefit expected through crash reductions due to the project by the overall cost of the project. The benefit calculation must be based upon statewide crash reduction factors associated with the type of proposed improvement and the actual collision history. Projects with a ratio of less than 3.5 will be rejected by Caltrans. Based on the traffic collision history and countermeasures (left-turn phasing and improved traffic signal hardware) used on the project applications, the BCR ratio was over 3.5 on all three applications. There is a good chance the funding requests will be approved by Caltrans due to the BCR.
County Administrative Policy #27 states, “All grant applications exceeding $100,000 per grant funding cycle shall be reviewed and approved by the Board. Applications that are submitted to the funding agency to meet deadlines prior to Board approval, shall be submitted contingent on Board approval. In these instances, departments shall request retroactive approval from the Board for submission of the application.”
The Department was required to submit these applications prior to the November 2, 2020 deadline. The Department is hereby requesting retroactive authorization by your Board for the submittal of these HSIP funding grants that the Department is actively pursuing to maximize the use of Road Funds. If the grant funding is awarded, staff will return to your Board with the associated agreements.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Location maps
On file with Clerk - HSIP Application - Lac Jac & Manning
On file with Clerk - HSIP Application - Maple & Clinton
On file with Clerk - HSIP Application - Headwalls
CAO ANALYST:
Samantha Buck